OnBrand with Sarah Grace McCandless

"Brands that are doing social really well today are the ones that have mastered the art of listening really broadly — at scale — and listening beyond just what’s sort of ‘on-trend,’ or ‘trending,’ or kind of what the dumpster-fire-of-the-day is on social media and hear behind that the cultural trends that are driving attention and interest. And then, really understanding how the brand connects with it.” – Ryan Turner, Global Marketing Leader: Formerly Starbucks & Amazon; Startup CMO Welcome to OnBrand! In this episode, join host Sarah Grace McCandless as she speaks with Ryan Turner, a global marketing leader whose extensive experience includes building Starbucks’ world-class social media operation. Learn more about what it means to truly listen to customers, what it takes to instill customer-centricity in the heart of brand and understanding the art of connecting through social media. While the internet and social media have made it faster and easier to communicate with more customers than ever before, quality always beats quantity — modern consumers crave sincerity and true connection. That’s why it’s vital that brands begin by listening carefully to their customers and thinking critically about their responses before they speak. As Ryan explains: “I think what separates the good from the great is not just understanding how to show up and say, ‘pancakes on fleek’ — as IHOP did in like 2009 to much acclaim — but understanding what’s true about a brand or about a product or service that’s highly relevant to the core truths about the customer. And being able to connect those dots is the true art of listening. It’s hard to do.” Furthermore, becoming a truly customer-centric brand also means transparency. This includes clearly defining the organization’s values and mission, but also backing this with actions to prove it’s not just all talk when it comes to important social issues. "Over the last few years, we’ve seen that consumers really care about what the companies they make purchases from stand for and what their practices are and what their impact is,” Ryan says. “And the idea of ‘voting your dollars’ has become more real over time for consumers, and so it’s never been more important for companies to communicate their values, what they stand for and how they’re practicing on social issues they want to connect with.” Beyond his previous leadership positions for massive brands Starbucks and Amazon, Ryan also spent a decade working at digital agencies including WPP and Publicis. Most recently, he’s been serving as the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Product for the tech startup Jove. His breadth of experience provides Ryan with a unique understanding of what it means to listen to and connect with customers in an online space as well as merging data and creativity to help brands reach new audiences in unique ways. Join us and discover why keeping customers at the center of each decision, statement and action taken as a brand can help build more lasting connections in this episode of OnBrand! Episode Resources Ryan Turner [https://www.linkedin.com/in/wryanturner/]

“As we have evolved the experience, [we] really looked at it as a dual experience. What happens to Mom and Dad when they walk in the door, and what happens to the child? And [we] create a holistic 360 experience in which everybody that walks through the door is feeling spoken to, seen, heard, and wowed.” –Amy Leclerc, Co-owner of Sit Still Kids [https://www.sitstillkids.com/] Welcome to OnBrand! In this episode, join host Sarah Grace McCandless as she speaks with Amy Leclerc about the power of consistency and personalization in branding and franchising and how customer experience makes a memorable impact on consumers of all ages. After a successful career in advertising, Amy Leclerc brought her entrepreneurial spirit to Portland, where she oversaw franchising and business development for barre3, a boutique fitness brand that now has nearly 200 locations. She has since found that same potential for growth in another up-and-coming brand: Sit Still Kids salons. An innovative alternative to the traditional kids’ salon, Sit Still delivers a personalized, high-quality experience based on children’s (and parents’) preferences and needs. With two corporate locations and one franchise, as well as 12 more territories in the works, Amy and her team are focused on bringing a fresh take on children’s haircuts — and customer experience — to kids and parents everywhere. When it comes to franchising, Amy explains: “There’s really something to be said about brands ... that there is an aspect of homegrown, so they feel like they’re part of the community. It’s striking that balance of brand consistency with allowing some of the personality of any given market to be expressed within those walls.” Join us to hear more from Amy about her journey to entrepreneurial success and how Sit Still is redrafting industry blueprints to “wow” their customers in the latest episode of OnBrand! Episode Resources Sit Still Kids Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sitstillkids/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sit-still-kid-s-salon/] Website [https://www.sitstillkids.com/] Amy Leclerc Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-leclerc-06822b24/]

“When we saw this VOD revolution taking place, it was kind of like a lightbulb went off. And we said, ‘Here it is. Now we can do this. We can bring people the programming that they’re passionate about.’ And that’s kind of really what the genesis of our whole company has been for the last 10+ years.” – Greg Diefenbach, Managing Director at MagellanTV Welcome to OnBrand! In this episode, join host Sarah Grace McCandless [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahgraciously/] as she sits down with Greg Diefenbach [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregdiefenbach/], managing director of MagellanTV [https://www.magellantv.com/featured], to discuss how creating personalized experiences for customers through curated — and meaningful — content can boost connection with the brand. They also discuss how the streaming industry is rapidly growing and changing, how MagellanTV delivers on their brand promise of “Television Worth Watching,” and much more! With all the amazing platforms, streaming services, and apps to choose from, hunting down your next on-demand series or film can sometimes feel daunting. That’s why innovative streaming services like MagellanTV, with a dedicated focus on documentary programming, have tuned in to the power of curation to help consumers connect more seamlessly with the content they love. By getting to know their customers through both quantitative and qualitative data, coupled with their own distinct editorial POV and lens, MagellanTV has created a unique platform that goes well beyond just a viewing experience. “Really, what people want is curation. You don’t want to go wading through thousands of hours, or tens of thousands of hours, to find something that you want to watch — you want help in making sure that the time you spend is well spent. And that’s why the editorial aspect of VOD channel creation is so important,” Greg says. “You really have to know and have a feel for what that audience is going to want so that they’ll stay with you, feel like they’re continuing to be excited about it, feel like they’re continuing to grow, and really build a community around that experience.” In 2010, Greg co-founded Alliant Content, which operates MagellanTV, and he has worked in television and media for multiple decades beginning with National Geographic Television. During his impressive career, Greg has been nominated for three Emmy Awards, winning the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Historical Programming – Long Form. Join us and find out how building customized, personalized experiences for consumers through meaningful content can help build connection, community, and greater engagement in this episode of OnBrand! Episode Resources MagellanTV LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/magellantv/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/magellantv/] Twitter [https://twitter.com/MagellanTVDocs] Website (Featured) [https://www.magellantv.com/featured] Greg Diefenbach LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregdiefenbach/]

“I could turn that repeat business into loyal business. How do I do that? I have to create some kind of a connection. The way that’s done is through something emotional. … If somebody says, ‘I love doing business with them,’ well, love is an emotional word, and ‘like’ is not quite as emotional.” -Shep Hyken, Chief Amazement Officer at Shepard Presentations Welcome to OnBrand! In this episode, join host Sarah Grace McCandless as she speaks with acclaimed customer service and experience expertShep Hyken [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shephyken/], about the difference between “like” and “love” when it comes to brand relationships and how to create lasting connections that ensure repeat customers and encourage them to become long-term brand advocates. Shep Hyken believes that “customer service is not a department; it’s a philosophy.” For Shep, that philosophy has fueled countless speaking engagements and seven books (and counting!) on CX-centered topics. His latest efforts are focused on how to design and deliver customer experiences that get customers to connect with your brand — and return. Shep explains: “I believe when you create experiences where customers are willing to share their friends’ names and phone numbers, their colleagues’ names and phone numbers, or just talk about in casual conversation with others, that’s when you know you’ve created that connection. You’ve gone beyond loyalty and into advocacy.” A renowned customer experience expert for more than 30 years, Shep is a leading voice in CX. His latest book, I’ll Be Back, will be released on September 21 and is available for pre-order (with an instant ebook download) here [https://illbebackbook.com/]. Join us to hear more from Shep about his latest CX research and how brands can develop emotional connections that move customer experiences from “like” to “love” in the latest episode of OnBrand! Episode Resources Pre-order I’ll Be Back IllBeBackBook.com [https://illbebackbook.com] Shep Hyken’s Social Profiles LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shephyken/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shephyken/] Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hyken [https://twitter.com/Hyken] Website: https://hyken.com/ [https://hyken.com/]

“How are we giving them value? The time they’re spending with your brand, how do you make it worthwhile for them? Those are the kinds of things we try to put at the forefront as we start to have conversations around Gen Z.” Chris Erb, Founder & CEO of Tripleclix Welcome to OnBrand! In this episode, join host Sarah Grace McCandless as she speaks with Chris Erb [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophererb/], chief executive officer and founder of Tripleclix [https://www.tripleclix.com/], about how the gaming industry has grown and evolved and why all brands aiming to connect with Gen Z need a value-driven gaming strategy to foster more authentic engagement and build lasting relationships. Now bigger than the global film industry, the global music industry, and the North American sports industry combined, the video game scene is surging in popularity, with Gen Z driving the trend. Chris founded Tripleclix in 2014 to help video game brands navigate the massive space and to establish the difference between marketing to gamers and adding real value to their gaming experience. Tripleclix’s goal is to create a more engaged brand community — and to fuel more strategic and compelling consumer brand/gaming partnerships. Chris says: “For us, and the brands we’ve talked to, it’s really about consumer first … and that’s an easy thing to say — it’s a really hard thing to do. It’s less about the revenue side of it and more about the relationship side. How are we doing things that can really build strong relationships with this audience and not try and monetize them at every step? What are the things that we’re really doing? So, digging into the kind of passions of the audience, and the best ways to connect with the audience, I think is really important.” As the former executive vice president of Brand Marketing for Legendary Entertainment and the vice president of Marketing for EA Sports, Chris has been at the forefront of innovation in the entertainment and gaming space for nearly 25 years. Join us to hear more from Chris about how the gaming industry is setting the bar for connecting with your audience and why any brand hoping to build relationships with Gen Z needs a gaming strategy, in the latest episode of OnBrand! Episode Resources Chris Erb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophererb/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophererb/] Tripleclix LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tripleclix/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/tripleclix/] Twitter: https://twitter.com/tripleclix [https://twitter.com/tripleclix] Website: https://www.tripleclix.com/ [https://www.tripleclix.com/]